NC‚ UML leaders rap ruling parties

KATHMANDU: General Secretary of the opposition Nepali Congress (NC) Krishna Prasad Sitaula has blamed the coalition parties and Prime Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai's power-hungry nature for the dissolution of the Constituent Assembly (CA).

"There is no reason other than PM's power-hungry nature for the CA dissolution," the NC leader said.

Speaking at an interaction organised by the youth leaders of the NC and CPN-UML with the journalists today, Sitaula alleged the PM of bringing serious constitutional crisis and pushing the country to risk.

Sitaula also said that the next CA elections were not possible in such circumstances.

"Constitution could not come due to dishonesty of ruling parties. Game not to draft the constitution was emerged after the Maoists and Madhesh-centric parties backtracked from the agreement of federalising the country into 11 different provinces," the NC general secretary added.

Also speaking at the programme, UML central leader Yogesh Bhattarai blamed that the Maoist party's totalitarianism was emerging more dangerously than that of Pol Pot.

Leader Bhattarai also urged all to unite for freedom of press and democracy.

Similarly, NC central leader Balkrishna Khand said the parties should make a clear roadmap for bringing a new constitution in the future.

Likewise, central member of NC Chandra Bhandari said that democrats should unite as democracy, press freedom and human rights were at risk due to totalitarianism of the Maoist party.

Likewise, Gagan Bista, chairman of the Press Chautari, an organisation of UML affiliated journalists said that the Maoists were effortful to bringing the journalists into their fold or keeping them neutral but if it was not possible, the Maoists were issuing threats or buying journalists.

Similarly, Kiran Pokhrel, chairman of Press Union, organisation of NC affiliated journalists stressed for unity among the democrats to foil attacks on journalists and media.

During the programme, journalists Harihar Birahi, Kedar Koirala, Tanka Panta, Prakash Giri, Prakash Chandra Pariyar, Nakul Aryal, Govinda Dhital, Anil Giri, Koshraj Koirala, Pramod Dahal, Basanta Prakash Upadhyay and Ashok Dahal, among others, said that the parties should issue a whitepaper on the dissolution of the CA and bring a way out for drafting a new constitution.